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With many departures from the youth setup this summer as scholarships come to an end and contracts expire, there’s an opportunity for the next wave of young Owls to try and make their mark.

Several of them have already turned out at U18 level, and there are high hopes for all 10 as they take the next step on the ladder to becoming professional footballers. After some TWW research, here’s what you need to know about them all…

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Brown first joined the Owls in 2024 after a successful trial period at Middlewood Road. He was 18, and had impressed at S6 despite playing in a higher age group amongst the U21s. The academy head at the time, Steve Haslam, said that they liked what they’d seen from the youngster both ‘on and off the pitch’.

He may have been among teammates older than him, but that was nothing new for the striker. For years he’d been playing, and scoring, against grown men whilst with the Ultimate Football Coaching Academy in Leeds, honing his craft under the tutelage of former Arsenal, Brentford and Bradford City forward, Isaiah Rankin. His debut season in senior football with UFCA saw him score 47 goals in 26 games as he took the Yorkshire Amateur League Supreme Division by storm.

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Weaver raised eyebrows last year with some standout performances in the Owls backline, and was a key figure as the club went on a three-game unbeaten run during arguably the brightest spell of a dismal campaign.

Sadly the 19-year-old was then forced to undergo an operation that saw him miss a huge chunk of the 2026/27 season, but he certainly left his mark before being ruled out. He’s undergone months of rehabilitation now, and it’s expected that he’ll be fully fit by the time Wednesday return for preseason.

It was confirmed recently that the Owls had exercised their one-year option in the centre back’s contract, but TWW has also previously reported that further talks are expected that would see potentially see him commit his more long-term future to his boyhood club.

As The Star’s Alex Miller stated recently, it would appear that final budgets have not yet been finalised, and it could be that further progress is made with Weaver – as well as his Wednesday teammates – in the next couple of weeks once that has changed.

Ernie Weaver is of interest to other clubs

The talented teenager is seen as a bright prospect by Henrik Pedersen, but it’s no surprise that he’s caught the eye of potential suitors elsewhere, too. TWW is of the understanding that a second-tier club have been in touch with the Owls to declare their interest in the academy graduate, but that that approach was knocked back by Wednesday.

It’s still early doors in Arise’s ownership and the transfer window hasn’t even opened yet, but already things are moving. Incoming Sporting Director, Simon Wilson, and the rest of Wednesday’s recruitment team are set to have their hands full in what’s expected to be one of the club’s busiest summers in recent memory.

Negotiations should ramp up in June once budgets are agreed upon, and after new CEO, David Bruce, admitted that there’d already been interest in their players from other clubs, it could be a fascinating couple of months’ ahead.

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David Storch and his Arise consortium have their hands full as a new dawn rises at Hillsborough, and they’ve appointed David Bruce as the new Chief Executive Officer to take the lead on many of the changes being implemented.

The work might be starting to take shape now, with work having commenced at the stadium, the training ground and elsewhere around the club, but it’s not something that’s just happened overnight.

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May 18th, 2023, Wednesday played host to Peterborough at Hillsborough having been dismantled in the first leg, losing 4-0 in their League One play-off semifinal. A scoreline like that had never been overturned before, and it had been described as ‘insurmountable’.

Darren Moore and his troops weren’t of that belief, though, and set to work on making sure they were in the best possible position to do the impossible. ‘Palms’ was at the heart of it, playing in midfield as the Owls looked to start strong.”

They got the four goals they required, with Palmer’s last-gasp goal taking the game to extra time, and then they fought back again to make it 5-1 before sealing the win via a penalty shootout.

It was an evening that will never be forgotten, and on the third anniversary of the Miracle of Hillsborough, the now club captain offered his thoughts via a LinkedIn post.

“Three years ago today, we witnessed what I still believe is the greatest EFL playoff comeback of all time,” he said. “A night that had everything. Belief. Chaos. Pressure. Emotion. Relief. Pride. All rolled into one.

“It’s hard to put into words what that game felt like from the inside. Even now, I don’t think it will ever be beaten in terms of pure emotion and what it meant to everyone connected to Sheffield Wednesday FC.

“What that night proved to me more than anything was when you combine wholehearted belief in your teammates and manager with a clear plan… literally anything is possible.

“At 4-0 down from the first leg, most people had written us off. Understandably so. But as the days went by leading up to the second leg, inside the group there was still a glimmer of belief.

“That season we were fortunate enough to work with Tom Bates. Someone with years of experience working with elite athletes, high-profile teams and Team GB Olympians. Looking back now, we were in exceptional hands.

“Before then, I don’t think I had truly appreciated just how powerful the mind is in sport. Physically and tactically you can prepare all week, but if the mindset isn’t right, it’s pointless.

“People always ask me what it was like to score the equalising goal to make it 4-4, and honestly, the only way I can describe it is like an out-of-body experience. Every sacrifice from being a little boy. Every early morning. Every training session. Every game. Every disappointment. Every setback.

“In that one single moment, it all felt worth it. To create a moment that will undoubtedly withstand the test of time. And more than anything, knowing it meant so much to so many people made it even more special.

“That game became living proof to me that mentality can shift outcomes more than we probably realise. And sometimes, when an entire stadium believes with you, incredible things can happen.”

Palmer saw an option exercised on his contract last week as he looks to extend his remarkable record of having played 509 times for the Owls, and his next target will be to match the great Andrew Wilson on 546. It’s hard to imagine, however, that any of them will come close to what happened on this day three years ago.

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There were ‘scenes’ as the youngsters say at Hillsborough on this day in 2023, with Darren Moore’s Owls completing the greatest comeback of all time before going on to beat Barnsley at Wembley.

Plenty has been said about that evening under the lights at S6, but not everyone knows that ‘Palms’ almost found himself in a bit of bother as he and thousands of others celebrated his last-ditch goal in front of the South Stand.

Jack Hunt, when asked about his decisive penalty recently, opted to give credit to the Owls stalwart rather than take too much time discussing his spot kick.

“To be fair, Palms nearly died that night,” he said with a smile. “So he deserves a shout-out! He actually nearly died, that’s true. Serious. When everyone jumped on him after he’d scored the equaliser, he was in big trouble.”

“Hunty made a barrier over me,” Palmer himself went on to add, before his teammate said, “And Stockers - who’s a big guy!”

Watch the video, captured by The Wednesday Word at the 2015/16 reunion dinner, below:

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From fabled David Hirst shirts and play-off kits to FA Cup medals and champagne bottles. Take a trip with us to the Wednesday Warehouse in Neepsend as he talks us through some of the incredible gear he's picked up over the years.

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It was fitting as he played his 222nd game for the Owls, because there was always a feeling that it could potentially be his last. The other 10 players on the pitch alongside him had 314 Wednesday appearances between them, and his departure is another end-of-an-era moment at Hillsborough.

Of those who were involved in the Miracle of Hillsborough and the famous Wembley win that follows, just Liam Palmer remains. It was just three years ago, but in many ways it feels like so much more. ‘Big Dom’ moving on leaves a void that won’t be easily filled - because in eight seasons he’s experienced practically everything that football has to offer.

The personal battles of serious injury and the mental toll that it inflicts. The joy of promotion, the heartache of relegation, and the uncertainty of unpaid wages, points deductions and transfer embargoes. His kids were born in Sheffield, they’ve donned blue and white just like him. A lot happens to a person in seven and a half years, and Iorfa knows that more than most.

You have to say, at £200,000 back in 2019, he’s given the Owls serious value for money. From his debut goal against Rotherham United and the Player of the Year award that followed not long afterwards to his brilliant display under the arch against Barnsley, and so much in between. In a decade of so many bad deals at Hillsborough, Iorfa’s was one that lands heavily into the success column. 222 games, seven goals, five assists, and plenty of marauding runs from the back.

Seeing him galloping up the field in full flight was a joy to behold, and it was never a surprise that his ‘Fastest man in Yorkshire’ chant caught on. Injury took a toll, of course, but he always fought back, always put in the work, and always kept a smile on his face outwardly, no matter how tough it got.

Palmer knows what he’s been through, what he’s sacrificed. “Let me tell you ‘bout my brother though,” he said on Instagram this weekend. “Big Dom, it’s been some ride mate. Ups, downs and everything in between. A pleasure to share a dressing room with you for seven and half years. One of the best geezers you could ever wish to meet. Wishing you and the gang all the best with whatever’s next!”

Dom gave the best years of his career to Sheffield Wednesday. It wasn’t always easy, and there were times where he could’ve left - but didn’t. There was never any throwing of toys, no spitting of dummies. Selected or not selected, he just got on with it. He even put up with the biannual nonsense from us in the media about whether he was still the ‘fastest man in Yorkshire’ when new players had been signed.

That leads on to my next point, too. Dominic Iorfa the bloke. I’m in a privileged position as both a Wednesdayite and a Wednesday reporter, because I actually get to chat to - sometimes even spend time with - those who represent my football club. I’d probably consider it my greatest privilege in this job.

And Dom is an absolute gent.

Whether our chats were in person and on record, or in Firepit Rocks after a big result or two, he always had time to talk. Politeness, openness and authenticity aren’t a given in this industry, but he always offered all three.

Someone will have to step up now, a new fastest man is required. But the last one has undoubtedly left his mark, and I hope that one day his chant rings around Hillsborough once again when he returns to visit the city that was home for the best part of a decade.

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The Owls confirmed on Saturday the list of players who would be officially moving on at the end of June, including those who will see their current loan spells come to an end.

In the end there were no major shocks, with the big takeaway being the departure of Dominic Iorfa after over seven years at Hillsborough. Also leaving are Nathaniel Chalobah, Harry Evers, Junior Kamwa, Marvelous Nakamba, Favour Onukwuli, Rio Shipston and Zain Silcott-Duberry.

Tayo Adaramola, Murphy Cooper, Jaden Heskey, Joel Ndala and Jerry Yates, meanwhile, will return to their parent clubs - for the time being, at least.

Also confirmed on Saturday were the full list of players who have had options exercised for the 2026/27 campaign, as well as those who the club are keen to see stick around.

Taking all of yesterday’s information into account, here’s a look at where things stand for Henrik Pedersen and his side heading into the new campaign.

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There was always expected to be a number of departures this summer as contracts and loans expired, and now the club has announced the full list of players that will remain on the books for next season.

Dominic Iorfa, who has played 222 times for the Owls, is the big news of the day, with the centre back set to leave Hillsborough at the end of June.

Much of the news confirmed today has previously been reported by The Wednesday Word, but now we have it straight from the horse’s mouth.

A statement read:

Sheffield Wednesday can confirm the club’s retained list with the 2025/26 season complete.

Dominic Iorfa will leave Hillsborough after seven years’ service. Iorfa signed for the Owls in January 2019 and made 222 appearances in blue and white, scoring seven goals from the back along the way.

Talks remain ongoing with Max Lowe, while Mackenzie Maltby and Gui Siqueira will be invited back to pre-season training with a view to potentially extending their S6 stays.

Options have been exercised

Club options have been exercised on the contracts of George Brown, Joe Emery, Svante Ingelsson, Cole McGhee, Denny Oliver, Liam Palmer, Logan Stretch and Ernie Weaver.

We can confirm that Jamal Lowe triggered an automatic contract extension earlier in the season.

The Owls have offered new contracts to Liam Cooper, Bruno Fernandes, Reece Johnson, Devlan Moses, Jack Phillips and Jarvis Thornton.

Nathaniel Chalobah, Harry Evers, Dominic Iorfa, Junior Kamwa, Marvelous Nakamba, Favour Onukwuli, Rio Shipston and Zain Silcott-Duberry fall out of contract and will depart Hillsborough.

Loanees Tayo Adaramola, Murphy Cooper, Jaden Heskey, Joel Ndala and Jerry Yates have returned to their respective parent clubs.

We offer our sincere thanks to all the players leaving Wednesday and wish them the very best for the future.

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